A NATION OF “STALL CENTRES” INTRODUCING THE UK’S FIRST PHONE RAGE INDEX

Consumer website PleasePress1 launches monthly index charting the companies most likely to waste your time on the phone

HM Revenue & Customs ranks highest on the rage index with over 38,000 page views in the last month

Consumer website PleasePress1.com has launched the UK’s first ‘phone rage index’. The free to access website, which charts the automated phone menus of some of the UK’s most well-known brands, is growing rapidly – over 600 services now have verified shortcuts available.

After analysis of the initial 1.5 million page views, creator Nigel Clarke has compiled an index of the most frustrating companies. Common gripes include dozens of menu options and tedious (often unavoidable) introductions. With 38,253 page visits in the last month, and over 400 menu options across just 6 services, HMRC takes the crown, currently ranked ‘most frustrating’ of the companies now registered on the website.

The league table, which is being called the ‘phone rage index’, will be issued monthly and Nigel hopes, will shame the worst performing companies into improving their systems.

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Nigel believes his campaign is persuading companies to improve their phone menus and address what he sees as simply bad design. Since launching the website in May, he has received hundreds of suggestions from consumers who wish to see the service expanded. There have even been requests from as far as Canada and South America for a similar service to be rolled out there.

Nigel is looking to integrate a forum for customers and other features as the website develops. Soon, visitors to the site will be able to see the worst offenders by trade, be that banks, travel agents or retailers.

Nigel said of the index: “As customers, we’re often on the receiving end of ‘stall centres’ that seem determined to keep us on the phone for as long as possible. Even larger companies with understandably complex departments have no reason to send customers through a maze of choices, only for many of them to end up confused and in the wrong place. It’s self-service with limited guidance and no guarantee of a result. That wastes time and money.”

He added: “In the last month, I’ve had contact with some huge names, including a very constructive meeting with Lloyds TSB. I’m adding more phone menus every day and maintaining the current ones should they change. Companies can add their phone menus for free and offer this additional service to their customers. The public support has been overwhelming.”

Nigel and his team have now made more than 15,000 documented calls to call centres, gathering vital data to save millions from undue time wastage and stress. Nigel argues that the combined ‘navigation time’ across all companies could be costing UK consumers an incredible £100million* in phone charges every year.

By using the simple telephone key codes on PleasePress1.com, typically, consumers will be able to shave several minutes off their call times to contact centres.

* assumes 40 million adults in UK make 24 calls per year to call centres = 960,000,000 callsIf each saved just 1 minute @ 10p a minute = £96million.Although some calls are free, they cost the companies money to receive themMany calls from mobiles cost over 40p per minute.Please Press 1 is free to use, and saves people money on expensive call costs.

About PleasePress1The Please Press 1 website (http://www.pleasepress1.com) helps users to quickly ‘Press Ahead’ through the menu options to the service they require. The website displays the menu options available, often shortening calls by several minutes, saving time, expensive call costs and much frustration.We believe that good customer service should come as standard, and that this should extend to the phone menu systems that customers have to navigate. Our aim is for companies to give much more consideration to their customers when designing these menus, by making them as simple and quick to use as possible.